DORÉ

It’s the summer of parties!

When I’m grown up, I’ll host parties.

That will be my job. I’ll have a wonderful mid-century house in the hills of LA, with a sweeping view on the city, to remind me that people also live and work down there.

I’ll have beautiful friends from all walks of life. Not just rich and skinny like I will be. I’ll tell them “please don’t bring anything to my party unless it’s a song!” because I’ll want them to feel like art and love is the only accepted currency in my world.

I’ll host backgammon games, because at my parties, you’ll even be allowed to get elegantly bored. That will be the secret of my parties. Don’t pretend anything, just bring you, and be.

There won’t be any dress code. Come as you are, I will say. You can wear heels if you want, but feel free to remove them if you feel like dancing on the grass. My grass will very green, yes. My hot gardener will make sure to cater to it everyday as I sip mocktails in my pool.

Nothing will be staged, but everything will be thought about. Food will be good and bright, alcohol will be cold and abundant, and music will happen as if a spontaneous gathering had just happened. My future husband will be gorgeous and artistic.

At the end of the night new friendships will have been formed, new businesses of course, new loves maybe. People would stay too long and that will ravish me.

Proof that I am the best hostess on the West Coast! Probably on the East Coast too, but I wouldn’t want to sound pretentious, you know?

My parties would be the image of the art of living, of ease, of beauty. My parties will be THE parties. My parties will be the image of endless summer.

——

Oh wait, did that just happen last week?

Ah! Well, that’s how I felt last Thursday at my second Au Soleil party in Los Angeles, with Le Méridien. Like, perfection.

A kind of dream come true. Except that I don’t care about being that kind of rich and I will never be skinny.

I don’t have hot gardener and I never drink mocktails. Also, the house isn’t mine. I guess that’s the moment when you’re supposed to say, #lifegoals !!?

——-

A lot of my team was there, and I loved having them around – which is why I thought to ask them, “what was your experience?”

Caitlin: It’s hard to capture the Au Soleil party in LA for a few reasons… simply put, it was magical. After attending, creating, and producing events for over half my life (I’ve been a pro-partier since the 90’s) — this was a special evening, one that only comes around once in a blue moon. When nights like this do happen it’s because people’s dreams align, sharing a vision, and creating the perfect moment… That being said, I’d be amiss not to acknowledge who those dreamers, are… our friends at Le Méridien, The Gathery, my team at the Atelier and of course — Garance. The one who inspires us all.

So here are a few of my favorite moments that made this a night to remember…

1. Garance — impeccably chic and hostess ready — signing 100+ thank you notes at lightning speed.
2. The anticipation on guest faces as each tray of bites and cocktails made it’s way out of catering.
3. Clare V.’s custom Netty Bag — the perfect ode to South of France beaches and my new summer staple.
4. The DJ. Vinyl records. A turntable and a bottle of Veuve Clicquot.
5. The Style. LA, you surprised me! Those prints! The hats! And so many pairs of espadrilles.
6. Chris’s first cameo with Nouvelle Vague, those dancers and the whole party’s energy during their last set (thank you, Le Meridien team, for letting me sway along with you). Can I get an invite to the reunion tour, please?
7. Late night editing in the coolest mid-century modern living room with the team (who are exhausted and loopy — but having fun and making sh$t happen).
8. Rosé – just so, so much rosé.

Carie: The house was amazing. Can we continuously reiterate that? It felt like we were actually stepping into a Slim Aarons photo and slipping back into a different time. It felt like the perfect backdrop to my first LA party since moving here. I helped Kate, our photographer, grab a variety of photos throughout the night that captured not only the setting but also the variety of guests who attended and that classic Au Soleil feel. We had friends new and old attend and we wanted to be able to showcase all of them and their chic, LA style!

Katie: This was my first event with the Atelier Doré team, so I didn’t know what to expect. I arrived at the event with phone and notepad in hand, ready to create some social media for Garance’s personal feed. Little did I know that I was about to step into a Slim Aarons photo. The house was like a time machine back to the late 60’s, early 70’s, decorated with sleek furniture and white flowers, while the patio which framed the most gorgeous view of Los Angeles was adorned with yellow umbrellas and wicker furniture. Needless, to say every corner was Instagram-able, making my job easy. And, while the decor will forever be embedded in my brain (dream house goals), it was the wonderful people I got to meet and work with that made my night.

Jane: It’s no surprise we’re all talking about this venue — it was an absolute dream that gave off major old school Hollywood vibes. Katie and I worked together to capture social content for the event, which meant we were mostly scrambling to get front row seats to everything – Nouvelle Vague’s performance with Chris, the rosé bar, and most importantly, the gelato cart (strictly for the content, of course… ahem). Working late nights with endless amounts of rosé means you’ll have the most random moments, like when Katie and I were contemplating eating lemons for energy (we did not- it was a terrible idea). It was such a memorable and fun evening, I can’t wait for the next one.